Cruise ships are cesspools of disease and misery, yet for some reason people keep shelling out to sit on a boat for months if not years on end. It shouldn’t be any surprise that folks get sick on cruises, but two ships made the news by giving their guests an unexpected illness: Legionnaires’ disease.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covered Legionnaires’ outbreaks on two unnamed ships between November of 2022 and July of 2024, and traced both back to “private balcony hot tubs.” According to the CDC, private hot tubs are held to lower standards of cleanliness than their public counterparts, which allowed the legionella bacteria to fester:
Legionnaires disease is a serious pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. During November 2022–June 2024, CDC was notified of 12 cases of Legionnaires disease among travelers on two cruise ships; eight on cruise ship A and four on cruise ship B. CDC, in collaboration with the cruise lines, initiated investigations to ascertain the potential sources of on-board exposure after notification of the second potentially associated case for each ship. Epidemiologic data collected from patient interviews and environmental assessment and sampling results identified private hot tubs on selected cabin balconies as the most likely exposure source. […] Private hot tubs on cruise ships are not subject to the same maintenance requirements as are public hot tubs in common areas. Given the range of hot tub–type devices offered as amenities across the cruise industry, to reduce risk for Legionella growth and transmission, it is important for cruise ship water management program staff members to inventory and assess private balcony hot tubs and adapt public hot tub maintenance and operations protocols for use on private outdoor hot tubs.
It turns out the ships’ private hot tubs were not, as I had assumed, filled with window unit air conditioner condensation instead of chlorinated water. Rather, simple maintenance items like cleaning and draining frequency allowed the legionella bacteria to take root. The CDC report states that the ships in question underwent cleaning and mitigation measures after the outbreaks were reported, though it appears one ship may still be working to fix its last few hot tubs. Maybe stay away from cruise ships for a bit until that’s fixed.
With the sheer number of reports about disease and issues on cruise ships, it’s something of a wonder that anyone still spends the money to ride on one. Why not put that money towards something safer, like motorcycle track school?
